January 20, 2022
Long Tiger was found to have knowingly escaped from police custody for which he was legally detained for an offence under Section 388 of the Penal Code. - Astro AWANI Pictures
TANGKAK: A man of Rohingya descent known as 'Long Tiger' was sentenced to 12 months in prison by the Magistrates Court here today on charges of escape from the court's lockup, mid-December.
The accused 'Long Tiger' or his real name, Abdul Hamim Ab Hamid, 33, was sentenced after pleading guilty after pleading guilty after the charge against him was read out by an interpreter before Magistrate Zaridah Y Abdul Jaapar.
According to the charge, the accused was found to have knowingly fled from police custody for which he was legally detained for an offence under Section 388 of the Penal Code. The offence was committed while the accused was in court here for the mention of the past case at about 11.55am on 15 December 2021.
He is therefore charged under Section 224 of the Penal Code which provides for a maximum prison sentence of two years or a fine or both.
According to the facts of the case, while in the courtroom, the accused claimed to want to go to the toilet before the handcuffs were opened by the police on duty.
However, the handcuffs were not put back on him and the cell door was also unlocked causing the accused to take the chance to escape from the cell before being successfully recaptured 13 days later in Sungai Petani, Kedah.
Earlier, the prosecution proceedings conducted by the State Director of Prosecution, Tengku Amir Zaki Tengku Abdul Rahman and the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Muhammad Qaiyyum Ramlan, applied for punishment commensurate with regard to the public interest and as a lesson to the community.
The accused, represented by lawyers Datin Freda Josephine Gonzales and Muhammad Hariz Md Yusoff, however appealed the sentence on the grounds that the accused bore the family and regretted the actions.
Magistrate Zaridah at his judgment then ordered the accused to be jailed for 12 months from the date of his arrest on December 28.
The Court also set February 14 and 16 for the retrial of three previous cases under Section 388 of the Penal Code for extortion, Section 506 of the same code for intimidation and Section 342 for wrongful imprisonment.
The accused is also still facing trial under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape at the Muar Sessions Court.
